Hive member DrunkInLove and her husband were married in a traditional Catholic ceremony and celebrated their reception at The Gallery Event Space in Kansas City, Missouri in a formal yet fun beautiful black and white reception.

Describe the theme of your wedding and how you executed it. Inspired a bit by Kate Spade and a bit by the timeless elegance of old Hollywood, we wanted a timeless event with unexpected elements of whimsy. We used a classic palette of black and white with pops of gold and classic white flowers and lush greenery to set the base, and then added elements of bold graphic polka dots and stripes for a punch.

What were your favorite or most memorable aspects of your wedding day? My husband was speechless at our first look—it was so sweet. We were just so happy to finally have reached this day we’d been planning and dreaming about. Also, being walked down the aisle by my mom was such a special moment for us. And being out on the terrace with the skyline views behind us, watching all of our favorite people laughing and dancing, it was truly a once in a lifetime moment.

Did you include any personal or cultural/religious ceremonies? If so, please tell us about them. We had a full Catholic mass; it was beautiful.

What’s one thing that was unique about your wedding that you’ve really never seen anywhere else? Not totally unheard of, but we had gelatto instead of cake and a caricature artist. Both were a huge hit!

What’s the biggest thing that went wrong (or an unexpected event that occurred) on your wedding day, and how did you deal with it? One of the photographers stepped on and ripped my cathedral-length veil moments before walking down the aisle! She felt terribly, but at that point, I was getting married and really just didn’t care what happened! I ripped off the small torn piece and headed down the aisle to my groom. (And literally no one noticed the small tear.)

Were you a Weddingbee member/reader? If so, how did Weddingbee help you plan your day? (It’s totally okay if you weren’t!) It was really helpful to get input on design elements from stationery to my dress and accessories. I can be pretty indecisive—and weddings require you to make about 500,000 small decisions—so that help was invaluable!

If there was one thing you could have done differently, it would have been… Had the caricature artist for longer—people loved it and not everyone got a chance to have one done.

Do you have any advice for future brides? HIRE A PLANNER! That was honestly the best money we spent, hands down. Nellie saved me through the whole process. And a live band really help to up the energy level at the reception—so fun!

What is one thing about your wedding that wouldn’t have been the same without Weddingbee? My stress level! It was nice to have a place to vent and ask questions—and just to know I wasn’t crazy or the only one stressing about things like napkins or the thickness of a border on the stationery!

~~~

Want to see your wedding featured on Weddingbee? If you had a fun, unique wedding, we’d love to feature you! Check out our Real Weddings submissions page.